Next Time I Fall
by Hobie
Summary: Matagu realizes Mizuho is spoken for


Mizuho Kazami Kusangi exited the Hokkaido Grille, feeling quite tipsy after a few rounds of drinks with her fellow teachers. Hey were celebrating Masami Yamada's birthday on a Saturday night, so she felt it was alright to stay out late and have a few; she could sleep in the next morning. After walking several blocks, it didn't occur to her to contact Marie for immediate transport back home. That decision would prove costly.

"Hey, baby doll," a wolfish voice called.

The magenta haired teacher turned around to see a well dressed man who appeared to be in his late twenties/early thirties.

"Hello," she replied pleasantly, thinking someone recognized her from school.

"I couldn't help but notice how lovely you looked in the moonlight," he smiled devilishly.

"Thanks, I think," she told him and kept walking, her sense of danger suddenly kicking in.

"Wanna party some more, sweets? Night's still young," he caught up to her and fell into step beside her.

"No thank you, I'm on my way home to my husband," she answered sternly.

"Yeah right. Why isn't he here with you now? Piece of ass like you partying all alone?"

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her arm then pulled her into a bear hug.

"Let go of me!" she protested, struggling against his grip.

The man only laughed and forced them towards a darkened wooded area. Mizuho opened her mouth to scream, but he wrestled her to the ground and brandished a knife. Eyes widening in fear, she could feel the sharp, cold blade against her neck.

"Now, me and you, we're gonna do this the easy way or the hard way," he hissed, his face and eyes crazed with lust. Grimy hands fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. She froze, afraid the he would slash her throat if she resisted.

"Kei," she thought in her mind. "I'm sorry, Kei.."

She wished she had stayed home with him or even brought him along. But it would have been out of place for a student to fraternize with a bunch of his teachers at a bar.

"You're quite the little hottie," he leaned in and licked her exposed flesh. She winced, smelling strong alcohol and cologne.

Matagu Shidou strode through the public park, feeling as if a late night walk would clear his mind. He hadn't been able to sleep that night and despite his parent's reservations at him being out so late, well what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. He had gone to the movies with Hyosuke, Kaede, and Ichigo that night. The first two were a bona fide couple and Ichigo blew him off totally. He had been trying to get closer to her during the final year of high school and she remained cold and aloof.

He stopped short to hear evil laughter coming from a dark area inside a grove of trees. After several seconds, he realized that it wasn't a pair of daring lovers, but a horrible crime in the middle of commission. Running to call the police wasn't an option, he needed to act now before she would get raped or killed. Taking a deep breath, he thought about the best way to stop the individual.

Matagu sprinted in a straight line towards the unassuming rapist then leapt into the air, bringing his right knee hard into the side of the man's head. The momentum knocked the bigger man off his victim and hard into the ground several feet away. The teenager turned back towards the fallen lady, his face full of concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Matagukun?" Mizuho recognized her student.

"Miss Kazami!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Are you alright?"

He noticed her torn blouse and got an eyeful of her pink brassiere. It froze him only for a moment, the tears in her eyes brought him back to reality.

"Matagu!" she screamed.

The rapist had recovered and was charging full bore at him, knife raised in the air. The youth ducked low and kicked as hard as he could at the kneecap of the perp. The bone broke, sending the man sprawling the ground again in pair.

"Bastard!" Matagu yelled then followed up with a vicious kick to the head. The man groaned then fell silent, the teen loomed over him, shaking with adrenaline and anger.

Mizuho picked herself up, tears streaming down her face.

"Come on," she urged, "Let's get the police."

He turned back to her and nodded, she leaned onto him for support.

"Miss Kazami, are you okay?"

"My ankle hurts," she replied.

"Here," he took off his shirt and gave it to her to wear.

Shortly, the police arrived and the guy was taken away to jail. Mizuho refused medical treatment and gave them a statement. A kind detective offered to give her a ride home.

Matagu decided to accompany her; he didn't know if it was right, but she seemed so vulnerable. Warily, he draped an arm around her shoulders in the backseat of the car as she continued to cry.

They arrived at her apartment complex, the detective telling her that they'd be in touch. Matagu helped her to her door, his face filled with concern. Despite their age difference, he wanted to comfort her, to hold her in his arms, saying he'd always protect her. Perhaps this incident would allow them to become closer, he dared dream. She unlocked the door and opened it to reveal Kei sitting in the living room, asleep in a chair.

"Keikun!" she quickly rushed to her husband, waking him up. He stood up quickly and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Mizuhochan, what's wrong?" he asked startled.

Matagu stared in shock at the scene which now unfolded. This seemed more surreal than the one back at the park.

"Oh Kei," she closed her eyes. "I was attacked after leaving the pub. Some pervert tried to molest me!"

Kei rubbed her back and peered over her shoulders, his eyes suddenly locking with Matagus. There would be no lying his way out of this one.

"What is this?" the black haired boy asked incredulous.

Mizuho turned back towards him, forgetting he had accompanied her in.

"Matagu saved me, Kei. Just in time," she whispered.

The shorter teenager swallowed hard. "Thank you."

Everything had suddenly come crashing down hard. He had always had dreams of being with Mizuho no matter how impossible that seemed. Now it was revealed that one of his best friends had beaten him to the punch. Matagu stared gaping at the couple, unable to form a complete sentence.

"I'm sorry, Matagu," Kei said softly. "We couldn't tell anyone about our marriage."

The avid astonomist looked first at Kei then at Mizuho who nodded, her eyes avoiding his gaze. Deep down, she had known from way back that Matagu had a crush on her. Kei had told her so.

Unable to cope with this revelation or the feelings of betrayal, the dark haired youth turned and ran, his dreams shattered.

"Matagu!' Kei called after him, but to no avail.

The next day, Kei showed up at his friend's house. Haruko Shidou answered the door and told him her brother wasn't home. Therefore, Kei spent the entire morning searching their normal hangouts for his friend. Eventually, he found him, sitting on the shores of Lake Mokuzaki., a forlorn expression on his face.

"Hey," Kei said standing behind him.

"You have one minute to get the hell away from me," warned Matagu.

"C'mon, I'm sorry…."

The other turned back to face Kei, his eyes filled with angry tears. "You bastard!"

"And then some!" Kei agreed, trying to calm him down. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about this."

"You couldn't trust me?" he asked accusingly.

"Even so, it wouldn't be fair to the others, Koishi and Hyosuke…all of them. I would eventually tell you all after we graduated. I did it to protect Mizuho."

Matagu couldn't disagree with that, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"I know how you felt about her and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth," Kei explained. "We've been married since I've been a sophomore."

The black haired teen resisted the impulse to punch out his friend right then and there.

"So now that I know, are you going to tell me everything or just keep piling on the lies, Kei?"

"Matagu, it's complicated," the older teen told him. There was a lot more to Mizuho than met the eye.

"Forget it, I won't know whether to believe you or not any way."

With that, Matagu began to walk away.

Kei ran after him and put his hands on the taller boy's shoulders. "Wait."

"Get away from me!" the dark haired teen shoved his friend so hard, the latter fell backwards into the sand.

Kei curled up into a fetal position and went into stagnation.

Matagu brought Kei back to his apartment and sat with him until he woke up. Mizuho made him some dinner, but he didn't feel like eating.

"What's wrong, Kei?" she asked, purple eyes gazing at him intently. "You haven't had a standstill for months."

"Matagu hates my guts. I apologized to him over and over, but he refuses to accept."

"I'm so sorry," she confessed. "If I hadn't gone to Yamada's party, this never would have happened."

"It's not your fault. We need to keep some secrets, namely our marriage and your heritage. Of course, the latter outweighs the former."

"I don't want your friends to hate you because of me," she told him.

"I don't either, but they have to understand our point of view. You're what's most important to me, friendship's aside."

She kissed him and he smiled weakly, They heard the door slam, signifying Matagu's exit. Once again, they had forgotten he was there.

He sat on a park bench, alone in his thoughts, feeling bad about arguing with Kei and wondering if it boiled down to jealousy. Was he jealous that Kei and Mizuho were married or angry over a supposed lack of trust? Would he have told anyone if it had been he and Mizuho who were married?

"Matagukun?" a soft voice asked.

Looking up, he saw her standing there, with a homemade cherry pie in her hands.

"I made this for you, a token of gratitude for saving me last night," she spoke shyly.

He took it silently, not wanting to say anything, the pain of losing her, well, the prospect of losing her, still fresh.

"I hope you and Kei will stay friends," she said. "To go into stagnation, he cares a great deal for you. It was because of me that he couldn't tell anyone."

For all the hurt he felt, Matagu could not be angry with his beautiful teacher. His expression softened a bit.

"Kei is a lucky guy, Miss Kazami. I never fathomed any of us so fortunate. It was kind of ridiculous, me trying to get up the nerve to ever tell you how I felt."

"It was sweet of you," she reassured him with a smile. "And I'm sure that one day you will make a girl very happy."

"You're one in a million, Miss Kazami," he said sadly. "I really doubt that."

"You'll find someone," she repeated.

He stood and smiled weakly, then turned to walk away.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow," she waved half heartedly at him then turned to leave herself.

Next time I'm gonna follow through.

And if it drives me crazy.

I will know better why

the next time I try.

Next time I fall in love...

I'll know better what to do.

Next time I fall in love...

ooh, ooh, ooh.

The next time I fall in love,

the next time I fall in love,

it will be with you.


End file.
